Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [141]
There are no bike rentals available in the park, and given the park's isolation, the only practical option is to bring your own. You'll need a pretty rugged mountain bike to do most of these routes.
Good choices are Racetrack (28 miles one-way), Greenwater Valley (30 miles one-way, mainly level), Cottonwood Canyon (20 miles one-way), and West Side Road (40 miles one-way, fairly level with some washboard sections). Artists Drive is 9 miles long, paved, with some steep uphill stretches. Other favorites include Titus Canyon (28 miles on a one-way hilly road—it has some very difficult uphill and downhill stretches) and Twenty-Mule Team Canyon Road (a one-way 2.7-mile graded gravel road through colorful badlands).
Camping
Death Valley offers little variety to those seeking conventional accommodations, but campers (tent, trailer, and RV) can expect to find comforts similar to those at most other desert parks. You should take special care, however, when selecting a campground. Although most locations are closed seasonally to protect visitors from the harshest elements (only five campgrounds are open year-round), there's always a risk of unseasonably hot temperatures at the
none-too-shady campgrounds on the valley floor, as well as early or late snow at remote mountain sites. Always inquire with the park ranger about current conditions before setting up camp.
Furnace Creek Campground, just north of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, has showers nearby (for a fee) from a strained water supply. (During peak times, there are quotas.) The campground has group sites ($50), which can be reserved. The huge Sunset Campground, just a quarter-mile east of the Furnace Creek Ranch, has nearby showers (from a limited supply, for a fee). Texas Spring, near Sunset Campground, has 92 sites and 2 group sites. The fee for an individual site is $12.
Stovepipe Wells Campground has 190 spaces with 14 RV hookups and pay showers; the fee is $10 for a campsite, or $22 if you want an RV utility hookup. The basic, tents-only Emigrant Campground is 9 miles southwest of Stovepipe Wells on Calif. 190.
Thorndike Campground, 37 miles south of Stovepipe Wells and 1 mile from Mahogany Flats Campground, off the Trona-Wildrose Road, is accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle. It has eight primitive campsites with pit toilets but no other facilities. Wildrose Campground, 30 miles south of Stovepipe Wells off the Trona-Wildrose Road, has pit toilets and drinking water. Mahogany Flats Campground, 38 miles south of Stovepipe Wells, off Trona-Wildrose Road, can only be reached by four-wheel-drive vehicle. It has pit toilets but no other facilities. Mesquite Spring Campground is 5 miles south of Scotty's Castle on Grapevine Road.
The Panamint Springs Resort (☎ 775/482-7680), 30 miles west of Stovepipe Wells on Calif. 190, operates a commercial campground with 40 spaces (12 with RV utility hookups). It charges around $25 per night for full RV hookups, $15 for dry RV sites, and $12 for a tent campsite.
Campsite reservations for Furnace Creek are available from the National Park Reservation Service (☎ 800/365-CAMP [2267]; http://reservations.nps. gov). Payment can be made by Discover, MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order.
Where to Stay
INSIDE THE PARK
Furnace Creek Inn
Calif. 190, 1 mile south of Furnace Creek Visitor Center (P.O. Box 1), Death Valley, CA 92328. ☎ 760/786-2345. www.furnacecreekresort.com. 66 units. A/C TV TEL. $240–$365 double. Closed mid-May to mid-Oct. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V.
The Furnace Creek Inn is exceptional, a 1920s resort whose charm has been successfully preserved. Like an oasis in the middle of stark Death Valley, the inn's red-tiled roofs and sparkling, hot spring–fed pool hint at the elegance within. The deluxe rooms and suites have every modern amenity. Stroll the lush, palm-shaded gardens before sitting down to a meal in the